From Snoopy to Shark Bait: The Top Slang Word in Each State

There’s a minute, and then there’s a hot minute. Defined as “a longish amount of time,” this unit of time is familiar to Alabamians but may stir up confusion beyond the state’s borders.

It’s Louisianans, though, who feel the “most misunderstood,” according to the results of a survey regarding regional slang by PlayNJ. Of the Louisiana residents surveyed, 72 percent said their fellow Americans from other states—even neighboring ones—have a hard time grasping their lingo. Some learned the hard way that ordering a burger “dressed” (with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayo) isn’t universally understood, nor is the phrase “to pass a good time” (instead of “to have” a good time).

After surveying 2000 people (with proportional numbers from each state), PlayNJ created a map showing the top slang word in each state. Many are words that are unlikely to be understood beyond state lines, but others—like California’s bomb (something you really like) and New York’s deadass (to be completely serious)—have spread well beyond their respective borders thanks to memes and internet culture.

Hawaiians are also known for their distinctive slang words, with 71 percent reporting that words like shaka (hello) and poho (waste of time) are frequently misunderstood. Shark bait, one of the state’s more colorful terms, refers to tourists who are so pale that they attract sharks.

Check out the full list below and test your knowledge of regional slang words with PlayNJ’s online quiz.

Here's How Much Money You Need to Retire Early in Each State

If you're complacent with your career, your goals might be limited to grabbing the last office doughnut. But if you have an eye on retirement, you might be wondering how much it's going to take to walk away from the desk forever.

Cost information website How Much has compiled estimates of the savings residents of each state might need in order to retire early at the ages of 35, 45, and 55. The site used figures from GoBankingRates that looked at the cost of living in the various regions and then estimated annual expenses based on age with an average 4 percent withdrawal rate annually.

If you wanted to retire at age 35 in Ohio, for example, having $1.61 million in your savings account would be ideal. In California, you’d need $2.37 million.

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The site cautions that this is an oversimplification of what should be some highly individualized financial planning. Everyone has different needs, and the numbers don't account for inflation or for adjusting the 4 percent annual withdrawal. In short, this is nothing you should pass along to your accountant. What these charts can do, however, is spark motivation to make your own plans for having a comfortable retirement. If you want to spend it in Hawaii, it might be best to start saving now.

Each State’s Most Streamed TV Show in 2018

The ladies of Litchfield are loved across America. According to a state-by-state analysis from HowtoWatch.com, Orange is the New Black was the country's most streamed show in 2018, with eight states searching for OITNB-related news more than any other series. The prison drama, which is due for its seventh and final season likely sometime this summer, was also the third most-streamed show of 2018 overall.

To create its map of the most beloved shows by state, HowtoWatch.com started with a list of the most popular shows on the four major streaming platforms: Netflix, Hulu, HBO GO, and Amazon’s Prime Video. Its analysts then used Google Trends to determine which shows were most popular in certain states.

Although Netflix claims more than 70 percent of the country’s streaming customers, according to HowtoWatch.com, a few shows from other platforms also cropped up. Alaskans are watching Game of Thrones on HBO GO, Coloradans and North Carolinians are watching South Park on Hulu, and residents in several states are watching Goliath on Amazon Prime.

Check out the map below to see what your friends and family are streaming, and click on the link below it to enlarge the picture.